Health Benefits Of Creating Art

Creating art is an inspiring way to stimulate your brain, improve your emotional well-being, and possibly get physically healthier as well. Art, when used as therapy, has been shown to be helpful in the healing process for patients suffering from mental, physical, and emotional problems – the creative process promotes healing in the following ways:

Art stimulates creativity and imagination. Many identify as either left-brained or right-brained thinking, you are generally more artistic (right-brain) or analytical (left-brain). When an artistic person creates art, he or she enhances already existing creative skills. The analytical person stimulates the creativity and imagination that are often hidden under the analytical left-brain when creating art.

Art boosts self-esteem. Creating art will provide a sense of accomplishment and increase self-esteem and self-confidence similar to the pride you felt as a child when your artwork was displayed prominently on the fridge. Creating art can instill you with that same feeling.

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Creating art stimulates problem-solving. There is no right or wrong answer in art. Art stimulates and encourages “out-of-the-box” thinking and forces you come up with your own unique solution.

Creating art increases mobility and fine motor skills. Holding and handling a brush or pencil will help eye-hand movements and stimulate brain connections at the same time the skill is being developed. Sketching, painting, sculpting and crafting all help improve fine motor skill.

Creating art stimulates your brain and promotes cognitive abilities and memory, especially useful in patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia. It is thought that by drawing and painting, the resulting brain activity connects the right and left hemispheres of the brain and even stimulates production of new brain cells.

Creating art in the digital also often can be a social endeavor. You can collaborate and communicated with fellow artists and also art appropriators from all over the world. There are plenty of sites like Behance, Deviantart, and Artists Inspire Artists which accept art submissions.

Beyond dementia and Alzheimer’s, creating art has successfully helped many people with anxiety, depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, chronic pain, high blood pressure, bipolar disorder, and similar serious health conditions and has been useful in the successful treatment of hospitalized children, teens, and adults.

Even the simple act of viewing and discussing artwork enriches lives and mentally stimulates brain activity resulting in improvement in memory, cognitive awareness, and self-expression.

Art helps many chronic patients face illness or health challenges like cancer and involves far more than managing physical symptoms. Creating art can help cope with grief and loss, and positively shift focus away from pain toward activities that are soothing, enjoyable and fun. And find a site that takes art submissions and share your creation with the world!